Pages

Friday, 3 April 2015

Guest Author Wodke Hawkinson. An excerpt from Dark Longings.

Wodke Hawkinson is the name under which writing duo PJ Hawkinson and Karen Wodke produce their collaborated works. The authors have been friends since high school, but formed their writing team in 2009. Dark Longings is their latest release. They have four other novels which include Betrayed, Zeke, Sue (a sequel to Zeke), and Tangerine, along with three short story collections: Catch Her in the Rye, Blue, and Alone. They have each produced solo works in addition to their co-authored books. Both authors reside in different Midwestern towns and do much of their collaboration via telephone and internet. However, they have been known to discuss ideas while casting their lines at a quiet lake, as they both enjoy fishing.

DARK LONGINGS

By Wodke Hawkinson

Prologue

The city never slept and even at
four in the morning, people moved about. A young mother rushed to an all-night
drugstore to purchase medication for a sick child. Music blasted from windows
where parties pounded through the night. Teenagers slipped from their
slumbering homes to keep forbidden rendezvous. Sirens wailed as emergency
vehicles sped along neon boulevards. Women cowered in darkened bedrooms while
men bellowed in drunken fury. Shady deals were conducted on dangerous corners
and in murky alleys.

A dirt track ran parallel to the
broad river that divided the city. Short turnoffs led down to the water every
hundred yards or so. The road was largely deserted at this hour, empty lots
leading to industrial buildings to one side and dense brush and trees on the
riverside. A sedan bounced along the rough road. Two men in the front seat rode
in silence. The first turnoff proved occupied by a group of homeless dregs
gathered around a small fire. Just as the driver began to turn onto the second
dirt ramp, he noticed a pickup truck backed down to the water. He could just
make out two forms lounging on the tailgate, holding fishing rods. He swore
softly and proceeded onward.

“Tough luck.” The man in the
passenger seat shot his partner a horsy smile.

“Maybe the next one,” the driver
said, checking the rearview mirror for other vehicles. The roadway remained
dark.

At the next turnoff, he scanned the
riverside for people. Finding it empty, he backed in and braked smoothly at the
water’s edge. After putting the car in park, he and his companion got out,
closing their doors quietly.

“Nice night,” the driver remarked,
gazing up at the stars.

“Bit chilly, if you ask me,” the
other man replied with a grin. His blocky teeth shone in the moonlight.

Together they managed to remove a
large tightly-wrapped parcel from the trunk, hauled it to the river, and threw
it in. The sound of the splash carried through the crisp air.

Down the riverbank, they heard an
excited exchange between a couple of fisherman.

“Holy shit! Did you hear that? Was
that a fish?” A man’s voice rang loudly across the water.

“If it was, it was a big one!”

The two men near the sedan looked
at each other in the dim glow of the parking lights. “It was a big one alright,”
the toothy one snickered.

His partner rolled his eyes, pushed
the trunk gently closed with a gloved hand, and got into the car. His associate
joined him and they drove back onto the road and into the night.

Sunday - September 30

Ruby hurriedly
tossed her apron into the hamper in the kitchen of Margot’s Café where she
worked part-time.

“Done for the
day?” A chubby redhead with a pretty face asked as she headed for the swinging
door with both arms full of plates of food.

“I’m done at
two and don’t have to come back until Tuesday afternoon. Have a nice weekend.”
Tina shoved a hip into the door and exited the kitchen.

Ruby waved to
the rest of the kitchen staff and slipped out the back door. Several steps
deeper into the alley, she unlocked a small door next to the restaurant and
slipped inside. She was careful to relock the door before turning to climb the
stairs. Midway down the hall, she unlocked another door; she was home.

Renting the
apartment over the café was one of the perks Ruby enjoyed for being its most
dedicated employee; she’d never missed a shift in the two years she’d worked at
Margot’s. The rent she paid was measly compared to other apartments in the area
and even though it was small she was glad to have the place.

Ruby sighed as
she grabbed her homework from her desk. The day was nice for a change but she
knew it wouldn’t last long. She bounced down the front stairway, exited through
the nondescript door, and made her way to a table under the awning of the café.
Lifting her feet into the chair next to her, she leaned back slightly and
watched the bare branches sway in the park across the street. Rain was predicted
for tomorrow, but Ruby thought it might come earlier.

Tina stepped
out the front door. “Fancy seeing you again,” she said with a grin. “Want
something to eat?”

“Just an iced
tea, please. No sugar.” When her drink arrived, she pulled her feet from the
seat, opened her laptop, and powered up. She hoped to get two papers finished
before her evening shift.

Time slipped
away as her fingers flew over the keyboard. She was nearing the end of the
second paper when she paused to stretch. Her attention was drawn to a young man
walking toward her with a slight spring to his step. His dark hair was tousled
and his intense brown eyes sought hers. Ruby felt a delightful shiver slide up
her back. As quickly as the feeling came, she shoved it down. She and Kenny
were no longer a couple; no matter how much chemistry sparked between them, or
how much she’d like them to be.

Kenny was
equally pleased to see Ruby outside Margot’s. He felt his pulse quicken as he
drew near. When she looked up, their eyes met and he smiled. Her green eyes
seemed to bore into his and he could almost read her thoughts. His smile
slipped a little, knowing she wondered if he was still using. He wasn’t, but
how could he make her believe him?

“Have you been
working out? You’re looking really good,” Ruby commented as Kenny pulled out a
chair at her table and sat.

He knew what
she was really asking. “I am good, Rube. I got a job running deliveries for
Dick’s Auto Parts and moved out of my dad’s place. I’m living with a friend
over on Donder Road;
1426, apartment D.”

“A friend,
huh?” Though her tone was skeptical, she grabbed her phone and added the info
to his contact list.

“A guy, Ruby;
his name’s Terry Campbell. You’re the only girl for me and you know it.”

Before Ruby
could change the subject, a young man approached their table, hailing Kenny as
he came. Kenny frowned and stood up, meeting him a few steps away.

Ruby pretended
to return to her report, but she eyed the stranger furtively. He looked sick,
like a prison camp survivor. He was gaunt; his chest appeared sunken through
the opening in his light jacket. His hair was unwashed and his clothes looked
slept in. He fiddled with a dirty bandage on his neck and tried to pull Kenny
into a conversation.

Kenny shoved
him away, knocking him to one knee. This action surprised Ruby; she’d never
known Kenny to be physical. In fact, he usually went out of his way to avoid
violence.

As the guy
regained his footing, Ruby heard Kenny say, “Just keep away from me, Chad. I’m not
going back. I don’t want anything more to do with…” His eyes darted to Ruby,
found her watching. He dropped his voice so she was unable to hear anything
more.

Turning
quickly, Kenny started backing away from the café. Chad’s eyes pled with Kenny to
wait.

“I’ll see you
later, Ruby,” Kenny called and gave a half-hearted wave in her direction.

Tina stepped
out the door with a couple of menus, but by then Kenny was disappearing around
the corner and Chad
had crossed the street and was stumbling through the park. Ruby watched until
she couldn’t see them anymore.

“Huh! Guess
they didn’t want anything.” Tina retreated back inside.

What the hell was that all about? Ruby
stared blankly at her computer screen for a while. Once she realized she wasn’t
going to get back into her school paper, she gathered her things and took them
upstairs to her apartment.

She lay on her
sofa, staring out tall windows that overlooked the street and remembered back to
the days she used to hang out with Kenny at his dad’s. Lord, how she’d loved
him, still did. But she was clean now and she couldn’t take a chance of being
dragged back into that pit. She finally drifted into a restless sleep,
awakening in time for her next work shift.

Her mind
returned to Kenny often throughout the evening and she almost hoped he would
call her. Maybe it was better if he didn’t; their new relationship was tender,
teetering somewhere between friendship and something deeper. By bedtime, she’d
reined in her unruly feelings and pushed her longings to the back of her mind
where they belonged.Thank you so much PJ & Karen for sharing an excerpt from your newest Novel. More about the team of Wodke Hawkinson can be found here.

Next week, I had originally planned to share my latest short story but am postponing it until April 17th. Instead I am featuring guest author Diana Stevan from British Columbia with an excerpt from her novel, A Cry From the Deep.

Search This Blog

Interesting?

Somewhere in New Brunswick. Photo by France Duguay.

Allan Hudson

About Me

I started writing later in life, inspired by one of my favorite authors, Bryce Courtenay, who began his writing career in his mid-fifties. It has been one of my most rewarding pastimes. I’ve been an avid reader all my life. It started with Dick & Jane – a primary reader my mother brought home from her work – she was a school teacher and taught me to read at an early age.

World Wonders.

Followers

Good news!

Total Pageviews

5 Star review for Shattered Figurine

The opening chapter presents the detective, Jo Naylor, with a very important question. One she didn’t really want to answer but knows she must.

The next chapter, one year later, hits you square in the face with full on complicated and violent action as we discover what this story is all about.

Shattered Figurines is a surprisingly unusual detective story in that it doesn’t follow the usual plotline for this genre and the characters aren’t run of the mill either. The author has captured a very real element in both the story and the characters and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I love a good detective mystery story and Shattered Figurines is one of the best I have read this year. I shall be first in the queue when the author writes another one in this series.

Shattered Figurine - a novella - Available Now!

Shattered Figurine. She sold it at a yard sale four years ago, when she was thirty-seven, and she remembers who bought it. She hadn’t given it a thought since then. In her mind, there had been no reason to. The message this morning changed that. She can’t ignore the possibility, no matter how horrific it seems. She prays silently that she be proven wrong" Click on the photo to read a brief excerpt. Thank you for your support.

Shipping your copy of Shattered Figurine.

Please note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to purchase a copy, you will be able to use your credit card. Once notification is received, please allow up to 24 hours for your copy to be shipped. Thank you.

Review of Wall of War

Dark Side of a Promise

Drake Alexander Adventure - Book 1. I'm pleased to announce the first two novels in the Drake Alexander Adventures are now available as an eBook at the following outlets. Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, Playster, Book2read, Bibliotheca, Overdrive, Tolino, Scribd, 24 Symbols & Amazon. Soon to be available at other booksellers.

Buy it Here

Wall of War and Dark Side of a Promise is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Cover to Cover in Riverview, Cocagne Variety in Cocagne and from the author.

The Douglas Kyle Memorial Award for Fiction

My story - The Ship Breakers - received Honorable Mention in the Douglas Kyle Memorial awards for New Brunswick Writers Federation's short story category. Published in 2018 in A Box of Memories, a collection of delightful and entertaining short stories.